Welcome to the AOI of D.C.!
The AOI is the District of Columbia's oldest civic organization, founded December 7, 1865, incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1903 and is an IRS 501c(3) tax-exempt organization. Please navigate through our site to learn more about us, discover if your ancestors were AOI members and consider joining our organization.
Happy 150th Anniversary, AOI! Click here to be taken to our new page featuring our Sesquicentennial Gala. Here is a link to the AOI History video created especially for the gala.
Check out our "Upcoming Events" page, right column, past speakers to listen to retired DC Police Sergeant Paul Leeper's account of his teams' arrest of the Watergate burglars (in 2 parts) or Security Storage's Conrad Reid recount his experiences Moving the First Families. On a sad note, Conrad Reid died July 24, 2015 at the age of 80. Also, we have begun beta-testing placing the remarks of our monthly luncheon speakers... also on the "Upcoming Events" page, lower left column.
Each Decoration Day (May 30th) the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War conduct a program at the old amphitheater adjacent to the Tomb of the Union Civil War Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. Listen to AOI President Bill Brown's remarks as he recounts for those present the service of Alexander Shepherd during the Civil War at the 2013 ceremony. Click here. The 2014 Decoration Day ceremony rededicated the Old Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery as the Corporal James Tanner Memorial Amphitheater and Bill Brown's remarks provide an historic perspective of the sesquicentennial of the Battle of Fort Stevens. Click here.
Click here for the latest developments in proposed changes to the District's historic Height Act! (see right hand column) and follow the position AOI has taken on the potential changes to the District historic Building Heights Act. As of November 21, 2013, the NCPC has rejected recommending changes to the Buildings Height Act except for certain uses of penthouses and the U.S. Commission on Fine Arts has endorsed those recommendations in their letter of November 26, 2013 to the NCPC from Chairman Thomas Luebke. NEW! The Washington Post's John Kelly reminds us how fortunate we are to have maintained our historic height limitations. He describes a future D.C., 2065, as depicted in the Fox network's "Minority Report" crime drama (Mon. evenings, 9pm). Read John's story here: "To preservationist, TV show's DC of the Future is a crime foretold." Note: the on-line version is titled: "What's Josiah Barlet doing on Fox TV's 'Minority Report?'
Be sure to see the link on our News page for important information on the future of the District's War Memorials, links to news coverage and videos current as of 5/20/2016. Congress has approved the 2015 Defense Appropriation Act which, among other things, includes designating Pershing Park as the national World War I Memorial in the District of Columbia. Read The Washington Times' Thomas Howell, Jr's. account of new legislation sponsored by Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Congressman Cleaver and other to re-dedicate the Pershing Memorial as the National World War I Memorial in the District. Read the text of HR 4489 here. In addition, the World War I Commission -- at its forum and trade show held Sat., June 14, 2014 -- announced its support to revitalize and rededicate Pershing Park as a national World War I Memorial here in Washington, D.C. Click here to link to the Commission's site. Also, as part of the AOI's continuing concern about the District's WWI 16th Street Tree Memorial (Centennial is 2020) as well as the DC War Memorial, we have compiled a listing of the more than 499 District men and women who perished in WWI. This listing continues to improve as more information is learned. AOI member Barbara Bates, in anticipation of an up-coming visit to the American cemeteries in France and England, has conducted research that has provided more in depth information on 64 of DC's fallen interred or listed as missing in these cemeteries. Her research also revealed that 15 of those 64 were African Americans. This information had not been previously accessible as the alphabetical listing of DC's fallen have always been without regard to race, gender, service branch or rank. Barbara's research has helped to answer some of these questions and our compilation may be found at DC's WWI War Dead. We have also added a link to the information maintained by the ABMC for each veteran.
Of particular note are the remarkable developments on the AOI's quest for the location of the records of the AOI (Colored), Inc. AOI Seeks Members and Records of AOI Colored, Inc., first publicized in 2010 by John Kelly in "Gathering of Segregated 'Old Timers' Group a Mystery" and his Feb. 2012 follow-up story "A Snapshot of D.C.'s Segregated Past Comes to Light in a Roundabout Way" detailing this story of curiosity, persistence and serendipity.
The Shepherd Statue commemorative plaque was dedicated on Tues., Nov. 16, 2010 at 9:30 AM. In 2012 through the generous initiatives of the D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities, the Shepherd statue was cleaned and restored. See 'News' and 'Governor Shepherd' tabs. Now, through the generosity of AOI member Edith Johnson a fund has been established that, together with the directed donations of other AOI members, will pay for the periodic inspection and cleaning of the USG Dunbar statue into the early 2030s. This gift from Edith Johnson is the largest, single donation to the AOI since a bequest of Theodore Noyes in the 1940s. "Thank you, Edith!" for helping ensure that the city's first outdoor statue to a native Washingtonian and the District's 2nd Territorial Governor will be maintained for many years to come.
Since 2005, the AOI of DC has continuously called to the public's attention the "Plight of the District's Historic Records." The collections that were at risk, and some remain so to this day, included: The D.C. Archives, the Kiplinger Research Library of the Historical Society of Washington, the records of the Recorder of Deeds, the collections of the Washingtoniana Collection of the D.C. Public Library at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library and the records/collections of the D.C. Public School system's Sumner School Museum and Archives. Many successes have been achieved since 2005; however, the collection that remains at the most risk is the D.C. Archives. Recently, a Friends of the D.C. Archives group has been founded with the goals of ensuring that $44 million in DC Council-approved appropriations for a new archives is, in fact, used for that purpose, that a new archives facility be appropriately staffed and maintained and that the regulations of the D.C. government are followed in collecting, maintaining and preserving the records of the city. Check out the FDCA's new web site here. Read Matthew Gilmore's comprehensive history of the District of Columbia Archives in this article written for Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities. Not included among that list of endangered collections in 2005 was The Peabody Room at the Georgetown Branch Library. Little would anyone have thought that the collection was almost lost in a fire that damaged the building in 2007. The Peabody Room re-opened in their newly renovated facility in October of 2010! Click here to learn more about the Peabody Room Reconstruction.
Friends of Clara Barton's Missing Soldiers Office has been established. The GSA, the Friends of Clara Barton's Missing Soldiers Office and the National Museum of Civil War Medicine announced their plans for opening and operating a museum at an event on April 12, 2012, the centennial of Ms. Barton's death. You can be kept informed of their activities by joining (no donation/fees required) the Friends. Read more here: Friends Of Clara Barton's Missing Soldiers Office Info Flyer OR Fill Out a NMCWM Volunteer Form - Clara Barton and apply to become a volunteer at the new facility. Watch CSpan's 5 minute documentary featuring AOI member Richard Lyons and his discovery of Clara Barton's Missing Soldiers Office.
Read about and support the archaeological examination of Yarrow Mamout's property in Georgetown.
This site was last modified on May 26, 2016.
Happy 150th Anniversary, AOI! Click here to be taken to our new page featuring our Sesquicentennial Gala. Here is a link to the AOI History video created especially for the gala.
Check out our "Upcoming Events" page, right column, past speakers to listen to retired DC Police Sergeant Paul Leeper's account of his teams' arrest of the Watergate burglars (in 2 parts) or Security Storage's Conrad Reid recount his experiences Moving the First Families. On a sad note, Conrad Reid died July 24, 2015 at the age of 80. Also, we have begun beta-testing placing the remarks of our monthly luncheon speakers... also on the "Upcoming Events" page, lower left column.
Each Decoration Day (May 30th) the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War conduct a program at the old amphitheater adjacent to the Tomb of the Union Civil War Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. Listen to AOI President Bill Brown's remarks as he recounts for those present the service of Alexander Shepherd during the Civil War at the 2013 ceremony. Click here. The 2014 Decoration Day ceremony rededicated the Old Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery as the Corporal James Tanner Memorial Amphitheater and Bill Brown's remarks provide an historic perspective of the sesquicentennial of the Battle of Fort Stevens. Click here.
Click here for the latest developments in proposed changes to the District's historic Height Act! (see right hand column) and follow the position AOI has taken on the potential changes to the District historic Building Heights Act. As of November 21, 2013, the NCPC has rejected recommending changes to the Buildings Height Act except for certain uses of penthouses and the U.S. Commission on Fine Arts has endorsed those recommendations in their letter of November 26, 2013 to the NCPC from Chairman Thomas Luebke. NEW! The Washington Post's John Kelly reminds us how fortunate we are to have maintained our historic height limitations. He describes a future D.C., 2065, as depicted in the Fox network's "Minority Report" crime drama (Mon. evenings, 9pm). Read John's story here: "To preservationist, TV show's DC of the Future is a crime foretold." Note: the on-line version is titled: "What's Josiah Barlet doing on Fox TV's 'Minority Report?'
Be sure to see the link on our News page for important information on the future of the District's War Memorials, links to news coverage and videos current as of 5/20/2016. Congress has approved the 2015 Defense Appropriation Act which, among other things, includes designating Pershing Park as the national World War I Memorial in the District of Columbia. Read The Washington Times' Thomas Howell, Jr's. account of new legislation sponsored by Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Congressman Cleaver and other to re-dedicate the Pershing Memorial as the National World War I Memorial in the District. Read the text of HR 4489 here. In addition, the World War I Commission -- at its forum and trade show held Sat., June 14, 2014 -- announced its support to revitalize and rededicate Pershing Park as a national World War I Memorial here in Washington, D.C. Click here to link to the Commission's site. Also, as part of the AOI's continuing concern about the District's WWI 16th Street Tree Memorial (Centennial is 2020) as well as the DC War Memorial, we have compiled a listing of the more than 499 District men and women who perished in WWI. This listing continues to improve as more information is learned. AOI member Barbara Bates, in anticipation of an up-coming visit to the American cemeteries in France and England, has conducted research that has provided more in depth information on 64 of DC's fallen interred or listed as missing in these cemeteries. Her research also revealed that 15 of those 64 were African Americans. This information had not been previously accessible as the alphabetical listing of DC's fallen have always been without regard to race, gender, service branch or rank. Barbara's research has helped to answer some of these questions and our compilation may be found at DC's WWI War Dead. We have also added a link to the information maintained by the ABMC for each veteran.
Of particular note are the remarkable developments on the AOI's quest for the location of the records of the AOI (Colored), Inc. AOI Seeks Members and Records of AOI Colored, Inc., first publicized in 2010 by John Kelly in "Gathering of Segregated 'Old Timers' Group a Mystery" and his Feb. 2012 follow-up story "A Snapshot of D.C.'s Segregated Past Comes to Light in a Roundabout Way" detailing this story of curiosity, persistence and serendipity.
The Shepherd Statue commemorative plaque was dedicated on Tues., Nov. 16, 2010 at 9:30 AM. In 2012 through the generous initiatives of the D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities, the Shepherd statue was cleaned and restored. See 'News' and 'Governor Shepherd' tabs. Now, through the generosity of AOI member Edith Johnson a fund has been established that, together with the directed donations of other AOI members, will pay for the periodic inspection and cleaning of the USG Dunbar statue into the early 2030s. This gift from Edith Johnson is the largest, single donation to the AOI since a bequest of Theodore Noyes in the 1940s. "Thank you, Edith!" for helping ensure that the city's first outdoor statue to a native Washingtonian and the District's 2nd Territorial Governor will be maintained for many years to come.
Since 2005, the AOI of DC has continuously called to the public's attention the "Plight of the District's Historic Records." The collections that were at risk, and some remain so to this day, included: The D.C. Archives, the Kiplinger Research Library of the Historical Society of Washington, the records of the Recorder of Deeds, the collections of the Washingtoniana Collection of the D.C. Public Library at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library and the records/collections of the D.C. Public School system's Sumner School Museum and Archives. Many successes have been achieved since 2005; however, the collection that remains at the most risk is the D.C. Archives. Recently, a Friends of the D.C. Archives group has been founded with the goals of ensuring that $44 million in DC Council-approved appropriations for a new archives is, in fact, used for that purpose, that a new archives facility be appropriately staffed and maintained and that the regulations of the D.C. government are followed in collecting, maintaining and preserving the records of the city. Check out the FDCA's new web site here. Read Matthew Gilmore's comprehensive history of the District of Columbia Archives in this article written for Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities. Not included among that list of endangered collections in 2005 was The Peabody Room at the Georgetown Branch Library. Little would anyone have thought that the collection was almost lost in a fire that damaged the building in 2007. The Peabody Room re-opened in their newly renovated facility in October of 2010! Click here to learn more about the Peabody Room Reconstruction.
Friends of Clara Barton's Missing Soldiers Office has been established. The GSA, the Friends of Clara Barton's Missing Soldiers Office and the National Museum of Civil War Medicine announced their plans for opening and operating a museum at an event on April 12, 2012, the centennial of Ms. Barton's death. You can be kept informed of their activities by joining (no donation/fees required) the Friends. Read more here: Friends Of Clara Barton's Missing Soldiers Office Info Flyer OR Fill Out a NMCWM Volunteer Form - Clara Barton and apply to become a volunteer at the new facility. Watch CSpan's 5 minute documentary featuring AOI member Richard Lyons and his discovery of Clara Barton's Missing Soldiers Office.
Read about and support the archaeological examination of Yarrow Mamout's property in Georgetown.
This site was last modified on May 26, 2016.